Exclusive: Interview Answers Questions About “They’re Here”

After we caught wind of the viral campaign for They’re Here, I thought it was a long shot to contact them to get any answers before the October 10th countdown ended. Fortunately, I was wrong, as I was able to get whoever is behind it to answer five questions with just four days left. What did we find out? Click the jump to find out.

First, a little background. They’re Here looks to be an independent alien invasion film based in the UK. Everything we know about it (or made guesses on) comes from the official site and social media accounts, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The official website has a counter that ends on October 10th (10/10/10), though what is actually revealed that day was unknown. The name on the Twitter account (which is also the name the website is registered to) is “Paul Terence Geist”. It was unclear if this was actually the person behind the film or some sort of character. We get the answers to these questions and more below from Maureen Tandy, PA to Paul Geist.


MovieViral: Is 10/10/10 the date the movie itself comes out, and if not, when is the film planned to be released?
They’re Here: Yes, a film will be released on this date. Subscribers and social media followers will receive links shortly following upload of the feature to the Video on Demand sites such as Youtube and Vimeo.


MV: Is Paul Geist a real person or a character for the viral marketing and/or film?
TH: Paul Geist is the non too subtle alter-ego of the true creator, as this must be protected before 10.10.10. His identity must be closely guarded, as he has a highly visible public profile.


MV: What studios and talent are attached to the project?
TH: We have built a talented cast of new and experienced faces. As for the production team, their identity must be kept closely guarded until after launch. However, rest assured that they have a raft of industry awards between them.


MV: What made you choose Aurebesh (the Star Wars basic language) for the alien text on the official website?
TH: This language was chosen as it meant a great deal to one of our lead cast members, owing to their previous roles. In addition, we felt it would be interesting to see if anybody attempted translation. Great bit of fun.


MV: Can you tell us anything about the film’s plot?
TH: I suppose like a lot of films it is about coming home and what you find when you get there. Furthermore, it is about looking beyond the surface to see the truth, getting that feeling that something that has always been there is not quite what you thought it was. It is like a memory that one day has little significance and the next day comes to life, making you realise why it stuck in your head for so long.


As expected, only so much was revealed, as they want to keep the mystery going, but we did learn some things. First of all, while this may be an independent film, there seem to be big name (or at least accomplished) people working on it. Also, the film itself will be released on the 10th. That plot description, however, is very enigmatic.


What do you think? Are you more excited for 10/10/10 now? A new viral video has also been released for They’re Here, which you can see below.